A Statement of Christian Faith – (17) By His death on the Cross and by His resurrection, He has triumphed over evil.

This is a Church of Scotland statement of faith. The commentary which follows is my own.

—–

We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. We praise God the Father; who created the universe and keeps it in being. He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy, living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
he made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness to all.
By His death on the cross and by His resurrection,
He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us
in our understanding of the Bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope of
resurrection through Christ,
and we look for His coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new;
and creation will rejoice
in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
One God, blessed for ever.
Amen.

—–

By His death on the Cross and by His resurrection, He has triumphed over evil (John 2:13-25).

With a view to emphasizing what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us, we begin with the conversation which took place after the cleansing of the temple (John 2:18-22).
By cleansing the temple, Jesus provoked an immediate reaction from His critics. They challenged Him, “What right have you to do this?” They said to Him, “If you have this authority from God, show us a miracle to prove it” (John 2:18).
Jesus answered them with a curious statement. They completely misunderstood Him.
He said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).
The Jews were quick to let Jesus know what they thought of this statement – “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” (John 2:20).
What they didn’t realize was this – Jesus was speaking about “the temple of His body” (John 2:21). He wasn’t threatening to tear down the Temple of Jerusalem. His words were prophetic. He was speaking of His death and resurrection.
This is made clear in John 2:22 – “When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the Word which Jesus had spoken.”
When Jesus cleansed the temple, this was not merely an action of moral outrage. Jesus was preaching the Gospel. He was proclaiming the Good News that salvation would be freely offered to all people through His death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead.
By cleansing the temple, Jesus was saying this: “the repeated, animal, sacrificial offerings of Judaism would would be replaced by the one and once-for-all offering of Himself by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in death and resurrection” (John Marsh, Saint John, p. 161).
When Jesus cleansed the temple, He was saying that the sacrifices of sheep and oxen would no longer be required since our salvation does not depend on such sacrifices. Rather, it depends on the atoning Sacrifice of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and was raised again so that we might have eternal life through faith in Him.
This is the true and deeper significance of the cleansing of the temple.
The Temple at Jerusalem was concerned with many sacrifices – the sacrifices of sheep and oxen. The Cross of Christ sets before us one Sacrifice – “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”(John 1:29).
This is how we are to understand our worship. We do not worship God by bringing to Him sacrifices of animals. We worship God by accepting the great Sacrifice which Christ has made for us.
* We come humbly before the Cross, and we say, with the Apostle Paul, “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
* We come humbly before the empty tomb, making Paul’s prayer our very own: “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).

A Statement of Christian Faith – (16) He made known God’s compassion and mercy, giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all.

This is a Church of Scotland statement of faith. The commentary which follows is my own.

—–

We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. We praise God the Father; who created the universe and keeps it in being. He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy, living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
he made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness to all.
By His death on the cross and by His resurrection,
He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us
in our understanding of the Bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope of
resurrection through Christ,
and we look for His coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new;
and creation will rejoice
in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
One God, blessed for ever.
Amen.

—–

He made known God’s compassion and mercy, giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all (John 2:1-12).

The miracle of turning water into wine is described in John 2:11 as “the first of His signs.”
The word, “sign”, is the word which is normally used in the Gospel of John to describe the miracles of Jesus. It is a word which stresses the spiritual significance of Christ’s miracles.
As we read the miracle-stories, we must learn to look for what they teach us concerning salvation in Jesus Christ.
John describes Jesus’ signs with a view to leading us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name” (John 20:31).
When we read the story of the turning of water into wine, we must seek to learn what God is teaching us concerning the new wine of the Spirit.
The contrast between water and wine speaks to us of the contrast between what we were before Christ came into our lives and what we have become through the love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Think of what you were before coming to Christ. Think of what Christ has done for you and give all the glory to Him.
Before coming to the Saviour, we were lost. In Him, we have been found. Before trusting the Lord Jesus, we were guilty. In Him, we are forgiven. Before coming to the Lord, we were in bondage to sin. In Him, we are free.
This is the new wine of the Spirit – found, forgiven and free.

(1) Found

In Christ, we are found.
Sometimes, we hear people saying, “I’ve really found myself.” This is not, however, the testimony of the Christian. The believer does not say, “I’ve found myself.” Our testimony is this: “I’ve found the Lord.”
There is a sense in which we’ve found ourselves. We’ve found the meaning and purpose of our lives. Nevertheless, it must be emphasized that the meaning and purpose of our life is found in Christ.
When we think more deeply about our experience of finding the Lord, it is not so much that we have found Him. He has found us.
The water did not turn itself into wine. Jesus turned the water into wine.
This is how it is with salvation. This is how it is with the new wine of the Spirit. We do not turn ourselves into Christians. It is the Lord who performs a miracle in our hearts – the miracle of the new birth.
Until Jesus performed this miracle, the water remained water. It would never be anything other than water. When Jesus performed this miracle, the water became wine.
This is how it is with the new birth, the new wine of the Spirit.
By ourselves, we are guilty sinners, suffering from a sickness which is, humanly speaking, incurable. This sickness, the Bible calls sin. It is a terminal illness. there is no way of recovering from it, unless the Lord performs a miracle of His grace. We cannot cure ourselves. We can only be cured by the love and power of the Lord.
Without Christ, we have no hope.. The truth concerning our life without Christ is this: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Once the Lord has found us, a new story of our life has been written: “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples, He said to them, “I tell you I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that Day when I drink it with you in my Father’s Kingdom” (Matthew 26:29).
The new wine of the Spirit is not merely something which belongs to this earthly world. It is the beginning of a heavenly life, which we will share with the Lord forever in His eternal Kingdom.
Those who have been found by the Lord Jesus Christ shall never again be lost. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

(2) Forgiven

Found by the Lord, we are also forgiven by Him. You cannot forgive yourself. You have to be forgiven by someone else.
When you sin against someone else – a husband, wife, brother, sister, friend, neighbour – you cannot simply say, “I forgive myself.” You need to be forgiven by the person you’ve sinned against. You cannot givr forgiveness to yourself. You can only receive it as a gift.
It is the same with God’s forgiveness. We have sinned against God. We need to be forgiven by God.
Forgiveness is an essential part of what we may call the new wine of the Spirit.
When, at the Last Supper, Jesus gave His disciples wine to drink, He said to them, “this is My blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
The water could only be turned to wine by Jesus. Our sins can only be forgiven by Jesus
Jesus turned the water into wine. Jesus turns guilty sinners into forgiven sinners.
This is the new wine of the Spirit.

(3) Free

In Christ, we are found. In Christ, we are forgiven. In Christ, we are free.
The freedom which we have received in Christ is not a freedom to do as we please.
* We are set free for obedience, set free to obey the Lord in a way that we could never do before.
* We are set free for service, set free to serve the Lord in a way that we have never served him before.
Christian freedom is like the freedom of the prisoner of war. We are no longer defeated, captive and taken out of the battle. We are now free to fight for the Lord, to fight in His strength and win victories for Him.
In the story of the turning of water into wine, we read of water being turned into a strong drink.
When we receive the new wine of the Spirit, we receive strength, strength to live for Jesus. We are able to live for Him in a way that we could not do before we came to Christ.
The contrast between the old life and the new life is highlighted in Ephesians 5:18, where the Apostle Paul writes, “do not get drunk with wine … but be filled with the Spirit.”
The world’s way is the way of getting drunk with wine. It is the way of “debauchery.”
The Lord’s way is the way of the new wine of the Spirit.
The contrast between being filled with the world’s wine and being filled with the new wine of the Spirit is both encouraging and challenging.
* We are encouraged. We have not received the spirit of ‘Johnnie Walker’ (or ‘Jack Daniels’). We have received the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
* We are challenged. We are not to be filled with the spirit of ‘Johnnie Walker’ (or ‘Jack Daniels’). We are to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Being filled with the new wine of the Spirit may not be the world’s idea of a ‘good time.’ It is the way to true happiness.
Found, forgiven and free – this is the Gospel’s description of a Christian.
Are you a Christian? – found by Christ, forgiven by Christ, free in Christ.

A Statement of Christian Faith – (15) He made known God’s compassion and mercy, giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all.

This is a Church of Scotland statement of faith. The commentary which follows is my own.

—–

We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. We praise God the Father; who created the universe and keeps it in being. He has made us his sons and daughters to share his joy, living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.

We proclaim Jesus Christ, God the Son:
born of Mary,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
He became one of us,
sharing our life and our death.
he made known God’s compassion and mercy,
giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin,
offering healing and wholeness to all.
By His death on the cross and by His resurrection,
He has triumphed over evil.
Jesus is Lord of life and of all creation.

We trust God the Holy Spirit:
who unites us to Christ
and gives life to the church;
who brings us to repentance
and assures us of forgiveness.
The Spirit guides us
in our understanding of the Bible,
renews us in the sacraments,
and calls us to serve God in the world.

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life:
we have sure and certain hope of
resurrection through Christ,
and we look for His coming again
to judge the world.
Then all things will be made new;
and creation will rejoice
in worshipping the Father,
through the Son,
in the power of the Spirit,
One God, blessed for ever.
Amen.

—–

He made known God’s compassion and mercy, giving hope and declaring forgiveness of sin, offering healing and wholeness to all.

To understand the Christian message, we must do more than simply telling the story of Jesus.
We must ask the question, “What does this mean for us today?”
To answer this question, we need to read our Bibles, listening for the voice of God Himself.
As we read God’s Word, allowing His Good News to reach our hearts, we will discover that Jesus Christ brings peace and hope.

Jesus brings us peace.

* First, there is the peace which comes from knowing that our sins have been forgiven.
* Second, there is the peace which comes from knowing that Jesus Christ, “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), has some to live in our hearts.
We have peace because of who Jesus is.
* Jesus is our Saviour (Matthew 1:21). Since He is our Saviour, He is able to forgive our sins.
* Jesus is “Emmanuel” (”God with us”) (Matthew 1:23). Since He is Emmanuel (God with us), He is able to live in our hearts.

Jesus gives us hope.

* First, there is the hope which comes from the assurance that we’re on our way to heaven.
* Second, there is the hope which comes from the assurance that Jesus is with us every step of the way.
We have hope because of who Jesus is.
He is the King – the King of glory and the King of love.

*We know that Jesus is able to bring us safely to heaven because He Himself came from heaven.”

“He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all.”

“Who came down from heaven to earth? Jesus Christ our Saviour!”

“Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?
‘Tis the Lord! O wondrous story! ‘Tis the Lord, the King of Glory!”

* We know that Jesus will be with us every step of the way because we know that He Himself has travelled the way of the Cross. Through Jesus’ death on the Cross, we have the assurance that He is the King of love.
Whatever our circumstances, we rejoice that the Lord is there beside us and His Cross is there to guide us.

This is the Source of our hope – Jesus Christ, the King of glory and the King of love.
To know Jesus as the Saviour, Emmanuel (God with us), the King of glory and the King of love is to enjoy the blessings of His peace and hope.

May these blessings be ours today and every day.